Finland's president and Norway's prime minister held a "frank and substantive" discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin about efforts to end the war in Ukraine, the Nordic leaders said.
"The outcome of this war will have a direct impact on our and the broader European security. Ending the war requires direct discussions," Finnish President Alexander Stubb said in a joint statement with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store.
The statement noted that the call had been "held in consultation with Ukraine" and followed a meeting in Oslo on 20 October between Mr Store, Mr Stubb and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky as well as US envoy Steve Witkoff.
US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner also took part in the meeting remotely.
After the Oslo talks, Mr Witkoff travelled to St Petersburg to meet Mr Putin.
Mr Stubb and Mr Store initiated the call to discuss "efforts to end the war and promote peace and stability in Europe", their statement said.
"The war comes with enormous human and material costs. The suffering and destruction will impact generations. In the call we stressed the importance of de-escalation", Mr Store said.
Mr Stubb described the discussion between the three as "frank and substantive".
The Kremlin said that Mr Putin slammed EU and NATO countries in the call with Nordic leaders, saying their "confrontational" policy was dragging out the Ukraine war.
In the call, "attention was drawn to the confrontational policy of the EU and NATO countries, which is leading to a protraction of hostilities," the Kremlin said in a statement, adding that the three leaders had "agreed to continue maintaining direct contact by telephone".
Shortly after the announcement of the call, Kyiv said Mr Zelensky had spoken to the Nordic leaders about the conversation with Mr Putin.
Mr Stubb confirmed the talks with Mr Zelensky in a social media post and commented: "Finland and Norway will continue to support Ukraine, and the efforts to find a just and lasting peace."
The leaders stressed that they were representing their own countries and had not spoken on behalf of Europe, but Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen bemoaned that they had gone "solo".
"I'm very sceptical about this Norwegian and Finnish initiative. It hasn't been coordinated with any of the rest of us," she told reporters while attending a meeting of Nordics leaders, including Mr Store and Mr Stubb, in Finland.
"I honestly don't know what those two countries think they can achieve with this," she said.
Relations between Ukraine and the United States have become strained again after Mr Trump this month suddenly announced a deal with Russia for diesel, as part of his efforts to lower oil prices sent soaring by his Iran war.
Ukraine reacted with dismay after Mr Trump also waived sanctions against Russia and appeared to again pivot to Mr Putin.
The Oslo meeting followed furious diplomatic efforts in Washington, Kyiv and Western capitals to calm the situation.
Norway and Finland, both NATO members, share borders with Russia and the statement emphasised that the countries are "firm supporters of Ukraine".
Russia, Ukraine begin US-brokered Oleshky ceasefire
Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine have begun a regional ceasefire to allow the start of a humanitarian effort in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky, both sides have said, but they continue strikes elsewhere, including the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.
The ceasefire should enable deliveries of aid as well as evacuations from the frontline town in southern Ukraine that is grappling with acute shortages of food and medicine.
"As head of the Ukrainian negotiating team, I confirm that the Ukrainian side is honouring its commitments," Dmytro Lubinets, the parliamentary commissioner for human rights, said in a Facebook post confirming Russia's timing of its halt.
On Telegram, Russia's defence ministry said it stopped shelling in the direction of Ukraine's city of Kherson from 4am Moscow time (1am Irish time), to prepare for the effort in Oleshky, which faces Kherson across the Dnipro River.
Mr Lubinets added that the deal was reached in coordination with US First Lady Melania Trump in cooperation with Russia's commissioner for human rights, Yana Lantratova.
Elsewhere, new strikes hit the Southern Bridge and subway infrastructure in Kyiv, forcing a suspension of traffic, city officials said.
Oleshky lies on the eastern bank of the Dnipro in Ukraine's southern region of Kherson, opposite the city of Kherson, which is held by Ukrainian forces.
But Russian troops have controlled the town since seizing it during the first days of their February 2022 invasion.
White House envoys have talked to both sides in recent days to try and find a solution as the US looks to mediate a peace deal to end the war, Europe's deadliest conflict since the World War II.
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said peace negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and the United States had agreed to meet at a technical level in the first half of November in Abu Dhabi to continue the talks.
A Russian missile attack on Kyiv killed at least one and injured 15, including students in a dormitory, since yesterday evening. The attacks also killed and injured people in the cities of Kharkiv and Pavlohrad.
On the Telegram messaging app, the Russian defence ministry said it has hit transport infrastructure in Kyiv, a logistics hub in the Kharkiv region as well as industrial facilities and cargo vessels elsewhere it cited as being put to military use.
A drone attack killed a man and wounded six people in the western Russian city of Bryansk close to the border with Ukraine.
Another person was killed and 30 injured as a drone hit a bus in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine's southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, local officials said.
Russia and Ukraine deny deliberately targeting civilians.
Source: RTÉ News
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